Many Subsidy Incentives For Housing Still Off Targets

Jakarta, June 13 (Antara) - Vice President Boediono said many housing subsidies provided by the government in various forms of incentives for developers were still off targets because they were not enjoyed by poor families but by middle income people. "The government has provided various forms of assistance by extending subsidies but they are not received by the correct people," the Vice President said while opening the Fourth National Working Meeting of the Indonesian Housing and Resettlement Developers Association (Apersi) at the Vice Presidential Palace here on Thursday. The opening of the Apersi national working meeting was also attended by Public Housing Minister Djan Faridz, Apersi Chairman Eddy Ganefo and Apersi provincial executives. Boediono said that many of the Indonesian people were now entering the middle class who had money and purchased houses which should be have allocated to the needy. He said that the middle income people purchased houses not for residing but for investment. "They think it is better for them to buy houses as investment than saving money in deposit form so that the housing purpose misses the target," the Vice President said. Boediono also touched on the Jakarta regional government`s efforts to build flat houses but it turned out that they were not bought and resided by people who really needed them. "There are owners who sell or rent their flats to other people," said Boediono. He said that the government would continue to support the efforts made by Apesi to provide housing for poor people. Eddy Ganefo said Apersi was a housing and resettlement developers association which provides 90 percent of its houses for low-income people. "We have endlessly developed houses for low-income people. All poor families should have their own houses," Eddy said. In the current national working meeting, Apersi is determined to become a pillar for developers who build houses for the poor. We also appreciate the housing minister who up to now had issued a very good regulation for the people in lower the income bracket. One of the constraints faced by Apersi members in developing houses is the price of lands which tend to increase very rapidly in line with the increase in the price of houses.